Assembly for hanging potted plants

ABSTRACT

An assembly for hanging potted plants is disclosed which is capable of holding more than one planted pot at a time, and repotting of the plant without removal from the assembly. The assembly includes a ring attached to a hook used to hang the assembly from the ceiling or used as a handle to transport the assembly. A cage is connected to the ring and includes a plurality of resilient ribs having curled extensions and a generally S-shaped configuration. The planted pot can be securely held to the assembly in a variety of ways. A cable or chain can be associated with the ribs for tightly surrounding the plant pot and bringing the ribs into secure contact with the plant pot. A platform may be attached to the ribs for supporting a plant pot thereon. Also, a ring may be attached to the ribs for holding a plant pot therein.

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from provisional applicationSerial No. 60/187,416 filed Mar. 7, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to hanging plants. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a hanging plant potassembly utilizing multiple downwardly, upwardly and outwardly extendingribs to removably secure a plant pot.

[0003] Existing plant hanging devices are generally comprised of anupper hook attached to a plant pot by wires, rope or plastic sectionswhich extend from the hook. The plants are usually planted in plasticpots when offered for sale. Sometimes the wires or rope are attached tothe pot by woven macrame, but more typically hooks or knots are insertedthrough apertures in an upper lip of the pot.

[0004] The above arrangement allows for plant seeds or starter plants tobe easily placed in the pot soil at a minimal cost. Growth is thenpromoted until the plant reaches a desired specimen size. It is thenbrought to market for sale. Very little consideration has been given tothe greater and long term use of the hanger device.

[0005] As many hanging plants continue to grow, plant limbs and vinesare given no support for normal growth and as new limbs and leaves growfrom the center, existing leaves and limbs are covered and compactionoccurs. The weight of layered compaction promotes mold, fungus, mildew,heat and insect infestation as well as soured moisture and water. Airand sunlight cannot reach all of the plant and a degenerative cyclebegins. All hanging plants eventually grow beyond the use of their potand become root bound, which stifles growth and can even result in plantdeath.

[0006] The average consumer attempts to nurture the plant until it dies,while more experienced gardeners attempt to transplant the plant to alarger pot with new soil. However, the design of existing plant hangingdevices complicates this process. Due to the growth and density of thenow larger plant, the interior portion where the wires or rope areattached to the pot is difficult to access. Due to the tangled limbs andvines of the plant about the supporting wires, the gardener must usecutters to remove the pot supports. As the hanging devices are noteasily replaced, an effort is made to retie or hook the cut wires to thenew pot. However, the new pot may not have apertures or slots throughwhich to hook or tie the wires.

[0007] Even if the pot conveniently has such apertures, many plant limbsare bruised, bent or even broken during this transplantation process. Ifa new plant hanging device is used, the limbs and vines must beuntangled from the old device and repositioned and re-woven on the newone so as to balance the plant and give the aesthetic look the plant hadbefore. This further bruises and breaks plant limbs, defeating theeffort of a major incentive of gardeners and plant hobbyists which is toincrease growth and health in the plant. Once the plant outgrows the newpot, the process must be repeated to transplant the plant yet again.

[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a plant hanging device whichallows plant pots of varying shapes and sizes to be securely hung. Whatis also needed is a plant hanging device which allows planttransplantation into larger pots without having to remove the plant fromthe device. What is further needed is a plant hanging device whichpromotes plant growth while being aesthetically pleasing. The presentinvention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention resides in a plant pot hanging assemblywhich removably fits snugly to any size plant pot while beautifying thesurrounding environment. The assembly generally comprises a ringattached to a hook which can be hung from a ceiling or the like, or usedas a handle to transport the plant. A cage is connected to the ring. Thecage comprises a plurality of resilient ribs having curled extensionsand a generally S-shaped configuration which are slidably connected tothe ring at one end thereof, and extend downwardly from the ring andspaced from one another to form the cage. A plate may be threadablyattached to the hook and compressible onto the ring to hold the ribs inplace on the ring. Alternatively, a cross-bar is interconnected betweenthe hook and the ring, and configured to permit the hook to slidablymove relative to the cross-bar for the distribution of the weight of theassembly.

[0010] Means are associated with a plurality of resiliently flexibleand/or malleable ribs for securely holding a potted plant to theassembly. Such means can comprise a cable or flexible strap associatedwith the ribs and capable of tightly surrounding the plant pot andbringing the ribs into secure contact with the plant pot. Alternatively,the securement means can comprise a chain which is capable of beingadjusted in length so as to tightly engage the pot plant byinterconnection between slit-ring loops extending from the ribs. Theassembly may include a platform which is attached to a plurality of theribs and capable of supporting a plant pot thereon. The assembly mayalso include a ring attached to a plurality of ribs which is capable ofholding the plant pot therein. The assembly may include one or more ofthese securement means for holding one of more potted plants at anygiven time.

[0011] Aside from being ornately designed with loops and S-shaped wireextensions, which are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, the ribsare also configured to securely hold plant pots of varying sizes. Thus,when the plant becomes root bound, or otherwise grows out of its pot,the pot can be removed and the plant re-potted without having to removeit from the assembly, preventing plant limbs from becoming bent orbroken during the transplantation process.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In suchdrawings:

[0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly embodying the presentinvention and holding several plant pots within a cage thereof;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembly similar to FIG. 1, andhaving a platform attached to the cage thereof, and holding a plant pot;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a top view of an assembly in accordance with the presentinvention;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view of a hook assembly used inaccordance with the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of another hook assembly used inaccordance with the present invention; and

[0019]FIG. 6 is a partly exploded view of an assembly embodying thepresent invention and having a plant grown therein and removed from apot for transplantation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, thepresent invention is concerned with an assembly, generally referred toin the drawings by the reference number 10, for hanging potted plants.The assembly 10 includes a hook assembly 12 which supports a cage 14that holds potted plants.

[0021] The cage 14 is comprised of a plurality of resilient, flexibleand/or malleable ribs 16 having curled extensions and loops 18. The ribs16 are generally bowed or S-shaped so as to be connected to the hookassembly 12 at one end thereof, and brought together around a pottedplant at the opposite end thereof. Preferably, the ribs 16 are comprisedof a metal which is resilient and durable. The circular loops andextensions 18 face both inwardly and outward of the cage 14. Suchcircular extensions and loops 18 provide the assembly 10 an aestheticappearance and design mimicking that of vines and tendrils of a plant.Although as few as three ribs 16 can be used, preferably there are fouror even six ribs 16 which are spaced from one another to form the cage14.

[0022] With reference to FIG. 3, these ornate ribs 16 and extensions 18not only serve aesthetic purposes, but also serve as anchors andfriction points which support the potted plant, and allow vines andtendrils of the potted plant to grow thereon and spread.

[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the hook assembly 12 includes a hook20 having a ring 22 associated therewith, and supporting the ends of theribs 16. Preferably, the ribs 16 are looped around, or otherwiseattached to, the ring 22 such that they can be slid from one position toanother, in order to enable the user to selectively place thepositioning of the ribs 16. This may become important when a pottedplant is secured between two ribs 16 which must be adequately spacedfrom one another, as discussed more fully herein.

[0024] With reference now to FIG. 4, a first preferred embodiment of thehook assembly 12 is illustrated wherein the hook 20 includes a threadedend 24 extending through a plate 22. The ring 22 includes a cross-bar 28or bottom plate having a nut 30 though which the threaded end 24 of thehook 20 can be inserted. As the threaded end 24 of the hook 20 is passedthrough nut 30, plate 26 increasingly exerts pressure on the ring 22 andrib connections 32 so as to hold the ribs 16 in place. Instead of athreaded hook 20 and nut 30 arrangement, the hook assembly 12 can bedesigned so that the pressure plate 26 is slid into contact with thering 22 to hold the ribs 16 in place.

[0025] The hook 20 may vary in size, but must be of sufficient size andstrength to support the potted plant from a ceiling or the like.Preferably, the hook 20 is diamond-shaped so as to allow the gardener toeasily grasp the hook 20 for transportation from one location to anotherwhile still providing a vertical attachment means.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 5, another form of a hook assembly 12′ isillustrated wherein the hook 20 is connected to the ring 22 via across-bar 34. The hook 20 is looped around the cross-bar 34, orortherwise attached thereto so that it can slide relative to thecross-bar 34 allowing proper distribution of the weight of the assembly10 when hung vertically by hook 20.

[0027] Referring back to FIG. 1, a plant pot 36 is placed within the ribcage 14, often at a lower end of the ribs 16, and a cable 38 or the likecomprised of nylon or other similar durable material, is wrapped aroundthe pot 36 and threaded through adjoining circular rib extensions 18.The cable 38 is tightened so that the ribs 16 contact the pot 36 in sucha manner so as to securely hold the pot 36 in place. The cable 38 mayinclude a zipper clamp 40 which can be used to conveniently tighten thecable 38, as well as release the cable 38 when necessary. It may bedesirable to hook open-ended extensions and loops 18 onto the plant pot36 in order to more securely hold the pot 36, as illustrated in thedrawings.

[0028] Although it is preferred to secure a plant pot 36 at a bottom endof the cage 14, it is to be understood that plant pots may be securedalong the length of the cage 14. Due to the multiple circular loops andextensions 18 facing inwardly, cables 38 can be threaded through theseextensions 18 at roughly the same plane to hang more than one plant pot36. Thus, the assembly 10 can be filled with as much greenery aspossible while the plants are small, or plants which require lesssunlight, do not grow vertically to a great extent or natural droopdownwardly can be positioned within the assembly 10 in order to maximizethe use thereof.

[0029] Other means of securing can be used instead of the cable 38. Forexample, FIG. 2 illustrates the use of a chain 42 which is encircledabout the plant pot 36 and connected to slit-ring loops created byopen-ended extensions 18. The chain 42 can be adjusted in length byinserting the proper link between two open-ended extensions 18.

[0030] Yet other means of securing and holding potted plants arepossible using the present invention. Referring back to FIG. 1, acircular ring 44 can be connected between two or more ribs 16 and sizedsuch so as to hold a plant pot 36 of the desired dimension. Typically,the ring 44 includes hooks 46 which are insertable into small sleevetubes 48 fixed to the ribs 16. Alternatively, the ring 44 includes thesleeve tubes 48, and rib extensions 18 are inserted into the sleevetubes 48 to hold the ring 44 in place.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 2, another means of securely holding a pottedplant, or other articles, to the assembly 10 is the inclusion of aplatform 50 which is disposed within the cage 14 and connected to aplurality of ribs 16. Such a platform 50 can be permanently attached tothe ribs 16, such as by welding, or include apertures or sleeve tubesfor the insertion of rib extensions 18, as described above. The platform50 can be used not only to place plants thereon, but also other items ofinterest or decoration. The platform 50 can be mesh sheeted so as tofacilitate cleaning and allow water and plant debris to fall through theplatform 50.

[0032] It should be understood that such securement means are notnecessarily limited to holding items within the cage. For example, theplant holder ring 44 can be attached to several ribs 16 in a manner suchthat it resides without the cage 14. Likewise, a platform 50 can be soarranged. When multiple assemblies 10 are placed adjacent one another,additional rib extensions 18 can interlink the assemblies 10 to create avine-like effect.

[0033] The assembly 10 can also include decorative motifs 52, such asthe humming bird illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The decorative motifs caninclude leafs, flowers, nymphs, butterflies, etc. Preferably, suchmotifs 52 should keep with the overall theme of the assembly 10.

[0034] With reference to FIG. 6, after some time the plant 54 willoutgrow its present pot 36. In order to transplant the plant 54 to alarger pot, the pot 36 is removed from the assembly 10. The exactprocess of removing the plant pot 36 will of course depend upon themanner in which it is supported by the assembly 10. As illustrated inFIG. 6, the cable 38 is loosened, preferably using the zipper-likesliding clamp 40 which allows the cable 38 to be pulled through theclamp 40 and tightened around various diameter pots 36. Once the oldplant pot 36 is removed, the roots and soil 56 of the plant 54 arerevealed, and may be loosened in preparation of transplantation. This isparticularly desirable when the plant 54 has become root bound. A largerpot (not illustrated) may contain additional soil as needed and theroots and soil 56 are placed therein. The cable 38 is then looped aroundthe new pot and tightened to secure the ribs 16 to the pot. In the eventa plastic pot is used, the cable 38 may be freely positioned as it mayactually be tightened to such a degree that the pot deforms somewhat inresponse to the pressure applied.

[0035] As can be appreciated by the reader, the plant 54 does not haveto be removed from the assembly 10 during this procedure. This isadvantageous as the limbs, vines and tendrils of the plant 54 are notdamaged to such an extent as when a gardener must clip off or untanglethe vines to completely transfer the plant 54 to a new pot and hanger asdescribed above. When the process is completed, the plant 54 andassembly 10 have the same general appearance as before thetransplantation process with as little damage as possible, whileallowing the plant 54 to further grow and thrive. Aside from thisbenefit, the assembly 10 of the present invention allows a gardener tohang potted plants of varying sizes and shapes, and even more than onepotted plant at a time as described above. The assembly 10 isaesthetically pleasing as it imitates an extension of the potted plantand can also be ornately decorated according to the desires of thegardener.

[0036] Although several embodiments have been described in detail forpurposes of illustration, various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An assembly for hanging potted plants,comprising: a hook; a ring associated with the hook; a cage connected tothe ring, comprising a plurality of resilient ribs having curledextensions connected to the ring at one end thereof and extendingdownwardly therefrom and spaced from one another to form the cage; andmeans associated with the plurality of ribs, for securely holding apotted plant to the assembly.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein theribs are generally S-shaped in configuration.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the ribs are slidably connected to the ring.
 4. The assemblyof claim 1 , including a plate threadably attached to the hook andcompressible onto the ring to hold the ribs in place on the ring.
 5. Theassembly of claim 1 , including a cross-bar interconnected between thehook and the ring, the cross-bar being configured to permit the hook toslidably move relative thereto for the distribution of the weight of theassembly.
 6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the securement meanscomprises a cable associated with the ribs and capable of tightlysurrounding a plant pot and bringing the ribs into secure contact withthe plant pot.
 7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the securement meanscomprises a chain which is capable of being adjusted in length so as totightly engage a plant pot by interconnection between slit-ring loopsextending from the ribs.
 8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein thesecurement means comprises a platform attached to a plurality of theribs and capable of supporting a plant pot thereon.
 9. The assembly ofclaim 1 , wherein the securement means comprises a ring attached to aplurality of ribs and capable of holding a plant pot therein.
 10. Anassembly for hanging potted plants, comprising: a hook; a ringassociated with the hook; a cage connected to the ring, comprising aplurality of resilient ribs having curled extensions and a generallyS-shaped configuration slidably connected to the ring at one end thereofand extending downwardly therefrom and spaced from one another to formthe cage; a plate threadably attached to the hook and compressible ontothe ring to hold the ribs in place on the ring; and means associatedwith the plurality of ribs, for securely holding a potted plant to theassembly.
 11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the securement meanscomprises a cable associated with the ribs and capable of tightlysurrounding a plant pot and bringing the ribs into secure contact withthe plant pot.
 12. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the securementmeans comprises a chain which is capable of being adjusted in length soas to tightly engage a plant pot by interconnection between slit-ringloops extending from the ribs.
 13. The assembly of claim 10 , whereinthe securement means comprises a platform attached to a plurality of theribs and capable of supporting a plant pot thereon.
 14. The assembly ofclaim 10 , wherein the securement means comprises a ring attached to aplurality of ribs and capable of holding a plant pot therein.
 15. Anassembly for hanging potted plants, comprising: a hook; a ringassociated with the hook; a cage connected to the ring, comprising aplurality of resilient ribs having curled extensions and a generallyS-shaped configuration slidably connected to the ring at one end thereofand extending downwardly therefrom and spaced from one another to formthe cage; a cross-bar interconnected between the hook and the ring, thecross-bar being configured to permit the hook to slidably move relativethereto for the distribution of the weight of the assembly; and meansassociated with the plurality of ribs, for securely holding a pottedplant to the assembly.
 16. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein thesecurement means comprises a cable associated with the ribs and capableof tightly surrounding a plant pot and bringing the ribs into securecontact with the plant pot.
 17. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein thesecurement means comprises a chain which is capable of being adjusted inlength so as to tightly engage a plant pot by interconnection betweenslit-ring loops extending from the ribs.
 18. The assembly of claim 15 ,wherein the securement means comprises a platform attached to aplurality of the ribs and capable of supporting a plant pot thereon. 19.The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the securement means comprises a ringattached to a plurality of ribs and capable of holding a plant pottherein.